Summary: | Chinese classical drama, mainly written in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, together with shi in the Tang dynasty and ei in the Song dynasty, occupy a prominent position in the history of Chinese literature. Drama is harder to compose, for it comprises of all kinds of genres and texts: shi, ei, ge, Ju, jing, shu, zi, ji, dialects, and colloquial locutions. It is harder to appreciate, for there are often jargons, some of which are rare, or borrowed from the dialects spoken by ethnic minorities, or words to which idiosyncratic meanings are attached by different authors. Consequently, classical Chinese drama has been relatively neglected.
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